Japan Energy White Paper: Middle East situation exposes weaknesses in Japan's energy system

The Japanese government released the Energy White Paper for fiscal year 2025 (April 2025 to March 2026) on the 23rd, highlighting the renewed vulnerability of Japan's energy supply and demand structure amid worsening conditions in the Middle East. The white paper notes that, for a long time, over 90% of Japan's crude oil imports have depended on the Middle East. After the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran at the end of February this year, navigation through the Strait of Hormuz—a crucial global energy transport corridor—was disrupted, creating uncertainty in the supply of crude oil and petroleum products. This also hindered the circulation of certain oil-related products such as naphtha.To secure domestic energy supply, since March, the Japanese government has taken measures including releasing oil reserves and increasing alternative procurement from regions outside the Middle East. The white paper concludes that these steps helped Japan ensure crude oil supply. However, at the same time, concerns about future supply in the market have led to stockpiling of some oil-related products, causing sluggish circulation and uneven supply distribution.The white paper points out that Japan's energy crisis response mechanisms, established over several decades after the oil crises of the 1970s, are no longer sufficient to address new energy supply risks.The Japanese government usually releases the Energy White Paper around June each year, but this year, to incorporate changes in the Middle East situation and related countermeasures, the publication was postponed until October. (Xinhua News Agency)